Saturday, July 25, 2009

Synopsis (from B&N): "In the first of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Dr. Watson, discharged from military service after suffering wounds, is at loose ends until a chance encounter leads him to take rooms with Sherlock Holmes. When Watson is drawn into the investigation of a bizarre murder in which Holmes is involved, he is unaware that it is the beginning of the most famous partnership in the history of criminal detection."

Fiction or Nonfiction: Fiction

Comments and Critique: Like all the Sherlock Holmes stories, this one is an intriguing mystery that is quite easy to read. I'm doing better with each story in picking up on the clues and reaching the correct deductions, which makes me feel pretty good. At only 94 pages, this one is a quick read -- I read it in one day. It would have been more of a short story were it not for the inclusion of the story behind the crime. It was especially interesting to learn how Holmes and Watson became a team.

For those interested, I've also recently discovered the joy of listening to the old Sherlock Holmes radio show starring Basil Rathbone. It's available as a free podcast through iTunes and I highly recommend it.

1 comments:

If you get a chance sometime, you have to read Neil Gaiman's Study in Emerald. It's in his book of Short Stories Fragile Things . Of course, he is one of my favorite writers, but it is really cool, and after reading the original, I think you might appreciate it!